On Media

The year in media

Midway through 2012, a “Civility in America” survey found that 82 percent of Americans believe the media are more interested in controversy than facts. Sixty-two percent found the media’s tone “uncivil.” In August, for the second time in a decade, Pew Research found that the “believability ratings” for major news organizations had suffered broad-based declines. And in December, Gallup released a survey showing journalists were less trusted than bankers, with less than one-in-four expressing “high” or “very high” trust in our honesty and ethical standards. At least we polled better than car salesmen.

As trust declines, scrutiny rises, and the men and women who were hired to report, analyze or comment on the news increasingly become a part of it. A bold proclamation from an influential media personality, a heated confrontation between a politician and a pundit, or an egregious mistake by a reporter or network — on a regular basis, the media are finding their own names in the headlines.

Taken together, the biggest political media stories of 2012 portray a fourth estate whose members are stepping off the sidelines to become players in the game. Occasionally, such moves win fame and favor; more often, they reinforce widespread suspicions of bias. It is an incomplete portrait, because it inevitably omits the achievements of the many reporters who stay out of the limelight. It does, however, reflect a trend — and one that, judging by the national surveys, comes at a cost to our credibility.